dbcve.org
Unrestricted File UploadWeakness · CWE-434

CVE-2025-12181

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-12-05
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
94/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
The ContentStudio plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to arbitrary file uploads due to missing file type validation in the cstu_update_post() function in all versions up to, and including, 1.3.7. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Author-level access and above, to upload arbitrary files on the affected site's server which may make remote code execution possible. CVE-2025-67910 is likely a duplicate of this.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

The ContentStudio WordPress plugin fails to validate file types in the cstu_update_post() function, allowing authenticated users with Author-level permissions or higher to upload arbitrary files to the server. This unrestricted file upload capability can be leveraged to execute malicious code remotely.

MitigationUpdate ContentStudio plugin to version 1.3.8 or later. If immediate patching is not possible, remove or disable the plugin, and review user permissions to ensure only trusted users have Author-level access.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Verify ContentStudio plugin is installed
    Log into WordPress admin and navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins, or inspect the /wp-content/plugins/ directory for a contentstudio folder
    Affected if The ContentStudio plugin folder exists in the WordPress installation
  2. Check installed ContentStudio version
    In WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and locate ContentStudio to view the version number, or check the main plugin PHP file for the Version header
    Affected if The version is 1.3.8 or lower, or the version cannot be determined (treat as vulnerable)
  3. Confirm Author-level or higher users exist
    In WordPress admin, go to Users > All Users and review role assignments, or query the wp_usermeta table for users with roles >= author
    Affected if Any user account has Author, Editor, or Administrator role
  4. Verify file upload functionality is accessible
    Test access to the cstu_update_post() function by attempting a POST request to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with action=cstu_update_post, or check if the plugin exposes any file upload endpoints
    Affected if The AJAX endpoint responds and accepts file upload parameters
  5. Check for suspicious uploaded files
    Inspect /wp-content/uploads/ directories for unexpected file extensions (php, phtml, exe, js) or examine web server access logs for suspicious POST requests to upload endpoints
    Affected if Unexpected executable files are found in upload directories or unusual upload requests appear in logs

You are affected if ContentStudio plugin version 1.3.8 or lower is installed AND any user with Author-level or higher permissions exists in the WordPress site, allowing potential arbitrary file upload exploitation.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Update ContentStudio plugin to version 1.3.8 or later. If immediate patching is not possible, remove or disable the plugin, and review user permissions to ensure only trusted users have Author-level access.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Version 1.3.8 or later (latest available version)

  1. Log in to the WordPress admin dashboard
  2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins
  3. Locate the ContentStudio plugin
  4. Check if an update is available and update to the latest version
  5. If no update is shown in WordPress, manually download the latest version from wordpress.org/plugins/contentstudio and upload via Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin
  6. Verify the updated version is at least 1.3.8 or higher

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
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Scan for this in your stack

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-12181 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data